


Absolute

by jonfuckingmoxley



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Aftercare, BDSM, Bondage, Bottom Daryl, CBT, Cock Cages, Cock Worship, Come play, Daddy Kink, Daddy Rick, Forced Orgasm, M/M, Master/Slave, Rimming, Safewording, Sex Toys, Size Kink, Slave Daryl, So Much Aftercare, Spit Kink, Top Rick, Watersports, already looks like a damn bdsm glossary, boot licking, grooming kink, just lots and lots of sex toys, kind of, little daryl, master rick, might as well just go all the way with this one, small cock fetish, sweat kink, tags for future chapters included, what's a classy way to say 'erotic beatings'
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-20 03:23:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5990248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonfuckingmoxley/pseuds/jonfuckingmoxley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl neglects a responsibility. His Master deals with it accordingly. The first in a series of oneshots about Daryl as Rick's slave, and Rick as Daryl's Master.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clean

**Author's Note:**

> unbetaed, finished in a bout of sleep deprived determination.

Daryl should've known what he had coming. 

He hadn't really thought about the mess he'd left that morning; he usually cleaned up after himself well and kept their cell nice and organized. It was part of their dynamic, that Daryl made sure everything of their's was clean, and he had been careless. It shouldn't have surprised him when Rick had caught him alone and told him he needed to be waiting in their cell that night on his knees with his head down. 

He wondered what the punishment would be. 

Knowing his Master, it would be something fair and slightly degrading. Just the way they liked it. 

Daryl headed to their cell that night and kneeled, his head bowed, just like Rick had said. He didn't hear the heavy fall of his Master's boots outside their cell for a while; his Master had made him wait longer than usual. Daryl knew that was part of his punishment. He didn't like being left alone. 

Rick entered their cell, locking the door and pulling the heavy curtains closed. Daryl kept his head down, watching his Master's boots as they moved to stand in front of him. He didn't speak for a moment. 

"Look up."

Daryl tilted his head up to see his Master's face. "Now look around. What's wrong with this room, slave?"

Daryl's eyes widened a little. His Master rarely called him 'slave' right at the start. Daryl looked around the room like he was told, and he knew exactly what was wrong. There were clothes and random items strewn all over the floor. 

"The room is dirty, Master."

"That's right. What's one of your responsibilities?"

"To keep the room and everything in it clean, Master."

Rick crossed his arms. "Then would you care to tell me why the room's a mess? It was fine when I left it this morning, so it looks to me like you disregarded your work." Rick pulled his head back by his hair. "That's not how a good slave acts, is it?"

Daryl gasped in pain as Rick gripped his hair harder and made him stand. "No! No Master, that's not how a good slave acts, I'm sorry." 

"Explain yourself, then." His Master had his hand tightly wrapped around the back of his neck, keeping him in place.

"I just wasn't payin' attention this morning, Master, I was rushin' to get out and hunt and I didn't think. I'm sorry I let You down, Master."

Rick let go of his neck and crossed his arms again. "As long as you promise not to slip up like this again, it'll be fine. And if you clean up this mess you left, like the good slave I know you are."

"Thank You for lettin' me fix my mistake, Master." 

Rick smiled. Praise-even if it was small- always got a good reaction out of his slave. "Get to it."

Daryl went around the room, folding any clothes that were out and putting everything back in it's place before making the bed. It didn't take long, but his Master was watching him closely the whole time and it excited him. He knew there was going to be more to the punishment than this.

"Take your clothes off, put them with the dirty laundry and put your boots by the bed." 

Daryl quickly undressed; his Master hadn't asked him to make a show of it so he didn't. Soon he was standing fully nude in front of Rick. He could see his Master was looking him over, appreciating his slave's body. It sent a bright flush all the way from his ears to his chest and he felt his cock twitch and start to harden. His Master noticed, of course, and laughed. 

"None of that, you're still in trouble, slave. You did a good job picking up your mess, but there's still something in the room that isn't clean."

Daryl frowned and looked around. What did he miss? 

Rick lifted his arms and showed of the sweat stains on his shirt.. "I decided not to take a shower before comin' here." He grabbed the back of his slave's neck again, pushing him to look down. "And my boots are in need of a good cleanin'."

Daryl's mouth was watering. They had never done this before, but the thought of licking his Master's body clean and sucking the dirt off his old cowboy boots made his cock fill the rest of the way. 

Rick pulled Daryl's cock ring out of the box they kept their supplies in. "Gettin' a bit too excited there, slave. Can't have your little cock comin' too soon, and I know you have trouble controlling yourself sometimes." Daryl kept his hands at his sides while his Master slipped the tight ring on him. Rick was right. He felt close to coming already.  
Rick sat on the bed. "Come here and get on your hands and knees. You're gonna get my boots done first."

Daryl dropped to his knees, leaning forward on his elbows. "May I please start, Master?"

Rick smiled and petted his hair. "Yes, you may."

Daryl started with the left foot, cleaning the dirt from the garden off with broad swipes of his tongue. It tasted horrible, but seeing the material clean and shiny with his spit made up for it. Rick lifted his foot for Daryl to clean the sole, and Daryl held it in both hands while he sucked the dirt off, groaning happily. 

He repeated the process with the other shoe, licking and sucking the leather, using the tip of his tongue to clean the stitched details. His cock was painfully hard, he was sure he would have already come if he didn't have his ring on. He briefly wondered how long his Master would make him wait to come. 

"Alright, slave, they're clean. You did a good job, now you gotta get the rest of me." Rick glanced down at Daryl's cock. It was dark with blood and at it's full size, which wasn't much. Rick smiled. His slave had such a cute little dick, it was a shame he hadn't been able to train him out of coming so easily. 

"Thinkin' maybe I need to put you back in your cage again. Work on training you some more."

Daryl's face visibly brightened. "Really?"

"You like that? You want me to lock up your little cock?" 

"Yes, Master. I like havin' it on....reminds me that my dick ain't mine. That you own it, just like when you plug me up. I like knowin' you own all of me. And I need the trainin'."

Rick smiled. He had such a good, obedient slave. "We'll do that tomorrow, then." Rick stood from the bed and pulled Daryl by his hair to make him stand up again. "But right now, you still got cleanin' to do. Undress me, put my clothes up and my boots next to yours."

"Thank you, Master. I'll do a really good job, I promise." 

Daryl was eager to please Rick, but made sure to be careful while removing his clothes. He pulled Rick's sweaty shirts off, wanting to bring them to his face and inhale, but refraining. He didn't have permission and really wanted to make his Master happy. Daryl dropped to his knees and unbuckled Rick's belt, before unfastening his pants and pulling them down, along with his boxers. His Master smelled like sweat and dirt and his own scent, and it was tantalizing. Daryl struggled a bit to stay focused when he saw how big and hard his Master was; he really hoped he'd get to service his Master's cock tonight. Maybe he would, if he did a good job cleaning. 

Daryl set Rick's clothes with the dirty laundry like he had with his and set the boots next to his own. He came to stand in front of Rick when he finished. 

"Where do you want me to start, Master?" 

Rick tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck. "Start at my neck, then my chest and underarms. After that, you'll clean my feet, then my cock." 

Daryl's cock pulsed at that and he leaned in, licking at the dirty, tanned skin of Rick's neck in heavy swipes, sucking at the jut of his collarbones before licking through the hair on Rick's chest, sucking at his nipples until they were hard. 

Rick lifted his arms, holding his hands behind his head. Daryl buried his face into Rick's armpit, moaning at the heady scent and the feeling of thick hair on his tongue. He looked into Rick's eyes from under his arm; his Master looked pleased. 

Once Rick was satisified with the job Daryl did, he guided him to his other arm with a firm grip in his hair. Daryl happily went to work again, sucking up the sweat and rubbing his face into the hair, trying to keep the smell in his nose. He really did love his Master's smell, and he was extremely grateful that he was being allowed to take so much of it in. 

Rick guided him down until he was once again on his hands and knees. Rick put his hands on the edge of the top bunk for balance and lifted his foot to Daryl's mouth. Daryl started at the heel, taking as much of it as he could in his mouth, moving up the sole until he sucked each individual toe into his mouth. He used his tongue like he did on the boots; pressing the tip into all the smallest spots. Rick told him when to stop and start on the other foot, and he thanked him again before continuing. 

Even though he very badly wanted to get to his Master's cock, he took his time cleaning His feet. Daryl knew better than to get greedy. 

It didn't take long for Rick to be happy with Daryl's work, and he sat on the bed and spread his knees, pulling Daryl to kneel between them. "You've done a good job so far. And this is still part of your work, but I know how much you enjoy servicing my cock, so what do you need to say to me?"

Daryl looked him in the eye and smiled. "Thank You for letting me service Your cock, Master. I'm very happy you're lettin' me clean it."

Daryl leaned forward, prepared to take as much of his Master as he could, but Rick stopped him. "Uh uh. Balls first, then you can have it."

His Master was teasing him, but he didn't mind. Daryl licked at the sack, sucking each into his mouth, licking down to the skin behind them and moving back up, thoroughly grooming the hair surrounding the shaft. 

"Good job. You can touch my cock now."

"Thank You, Master."

Daryl licked his lips before pressing his tongue against the hard length. His Master was huge, especially compared to his own dick. Daryl was a little below average, uncut, and too sensitive for his cock to be of any real use. Rick's was at least nine and a half inches, and thick as a beer can, and had much more stamina than Daryl. He adored his Master's cock.   
It was hard to take it into his mouth, though, his jaw started to ache quickly. He kept going despite the stretch and went down farther, working it deeper and choking around it, the broad head breaching his throat until he had the entire length in his mouth. 

"Fuck, slave, that's it. Clean me up good, and I might fuck you. Think you might've earned it." 

Daryl choked and moaned and felt his throat tighten up around Rick at the thought of his Master using his ass, too. He was quickly pulled off, his Master's hands in his hair. 

"Get on your back on the bed, hold your legs up." 

"Yes, Master." Daryl's voice was scratchy and rough, his throat sore from the cock that was in it. Rick grabbed the lube they kept next to the bed and got in between Daryl's legs. 

"You've been real good for me, slave, you did everything I told you and you did it without complaint." He spread the lube on three of his fingers, easily slipping one into Daryl's little hole. "I think you deserve a reward." 

"Thank- ah, ah, thank You, Master, thank You." Daryl was gasping, high whimpers escaping his throat at the finger pushing against his prostate. It was soon joined by a second one; Daryl barely noticing the stretch with how often he had been opened up for Rick. The third finger stung a bit, but he loved it. He loved any pain his Master gave him, be it from stretching his hole open or from one of his beatings. 

Rick stroked more lube over his cock and dragged his slave's legs over his shoulders. "Hold yourself open, slave." 

Daryl reached under himself to spread his ass, and Rick wasted no time in pushing into him. The head slipped in and he paused. As much as he'd love to just start pounding away in his slave's hot little ass, he knew better. That's not the kind of pain he liked to make his slave feel. 

It didn't take long for the tight channel to open, allowing him to slide the rest of his cock in. Bottoming out in his slave's hole was always an amazing feeling. Daryl kept himself spread until Rick told him to grip the sheets. Rick kept his hips flush against the meat of his slave's ass, slowly rolling and grinding his cock inside Daryl, pushing at his prostate and groaning at the soft, hot skin clamping down on him. Rick pulled out further, driving back in with as much force as he could manage, and keeping up the steady, hard pace until his slave was keening and whining.

Daryl had tears streaming down his face; his Master was being so good to him, he was so grateful for the reward he was getting. He could feel his Master's thick cock dragging deep against his insides, hitting his prostate head-on over and over.

"Cross your ankles behind my neck, slave" 

Daryl obeyed immediately; Rick shifted forward, shoving even deeper and pressing his hand onto Daryl's lower abdomen, just under his belly button, and Daryl's eyes rolled back in his head from the sensation. The combination of pressure from inside and outside made his cock pulse, desparately trying to come. 

"You close, slave? You wanna come? You want me to take that ring off so your tiny little cock can feel better? You've been hard for so long, bet it's startin' to hurt, huh?"

"Yes, Master, it-ah, fuck fuck fuck Master it hurts, please please, fuck!" 

"Please what? Tell me what you're wantin', slave."

"Want-mmmm God fucking dammit Master, fuck I want you to come, I want- nnngfuck I want you to feel good, Master." 

Rick sped up his thrusts; talking like this always got him close to the edge. "Yeah? You want me to come up this tight little ass? Fill you up, I should probably plug you up, remind you who owns your slutty little hole." 

Rick pressed his hand harder on him, making Daryl cry more, until he felt himself twitch, his balls tight, moving his hands to his slave's ankles and pumping his come into Daryl. 

"Fuck! Fuck, goddamn, slave, that's fucking good." Daryl moaned at the hot, wet feeling of his Master's orgasm spreading through him; his whole body was shaking, almost at his breaking point from waiting so long. Rick stayed buried in him, cock still twitching. He let Daryl's legs fall, wiping the sweat off of his forehead and bringing it to his slave's mouth.   
Daryl sucked the wet fingers into his mouth, whimpering when they were taken away.

"You need to come, slave?"

"Yes, yes, please, Master, please, if I've earned it, please, it's...it's really startin' to hurt, Master."

Rick paused for a moment. "Two?"

Daryl took a deep breath. "Nah, one. Keep going." 

Rick ran his hand down his slave's chest, down to his cock. It did look like it hurt, all four inches dark and throbbing. He rarely pushed his slave this far, but this would make sure that the punishment kept. 

Rick pulled out of Daryl, immediately replacing his cock with two fingers, rubbing at the beaten spot inside of his slave. 

"Who does this belong to?"

"You-you, Master."

His other hand went to Daryl's dick, lightly wrapping around it. "Who does this belong to?"

"You, Master, you own all of me. Every bit, it's all yours." 

"That's right. Who decides if you get to come?"

"You, Master, you decide for me." 

Rick smiled and carefully pulled the cock ring off, keeping his fingers pressed into his slave's ass, rubbing and prodding at the bundle of nerves and firmly gripping his slave's cock, stroking him quickly. "I decided you get to come. What do you say?" 

"Thank-fuck oh my god oh my god fuck thank You Master, Master, Master fuck fuck me, thank You, thank-" Daryl went silent, his voice going out as he came over his stomach, clenching around Rick's fingers and thrusting into his hand. 

His legs were shaking when he finished, the feeling of relief almost too much to handle. His hips jerked a few more times before his body settled, trembling from exertion. 

Rick grabbed the baby wipes from their box of supplies and gently cleaned Daryl's stomach, taking extra care with his now-extremely sensitive cock and loosened, slick hole. 

Daryl's voice was weak. "Are-are you gonna plug me up?"

Rick tossed the wipes in the small trash can beside their bed before laying next to Daryl, arranging them so that Daryl was cradled between Rick and the wall. He stroked his hands through Daryl's soft hair and down his arm. "No, sweetheart, not tonight. I think you had enough. But hey," he placed his hand under Daryl's chin to tilt his head up, "I'll plug you up tomorrow when we put your cage back on. That sound good?"

Daryl's deep blues eyes were still blown out and glossy from pleasure; he was still deep in his submissive mindset. "Really, Master? You promise?" 

Rick smiled and kissed Daryl on the nose. "Of course I promise, baby. I'll even fuck you right before so you can be full the whole day." 

Daryl made a happy, high-pitched whine and snuggled against Rick's chest. "Thank you, Master, that makes me happy." 

He nuzzled against Rick, and Rick pressed soft kisses into Daryl's hair, inhaling the man's deep scent. This had been a good night for them; Daryl was going to fall asleep with a smile on his face, and that was all Rick needed to sleep peacefully at night. 

Though he was going to have to think of another punishment. Daryl had been talking back to people recently, and that couldn't go without reprimanding...


	2. Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl safewords, Rick takes care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so....this was supposed to be something entirely different but i was writing it and then BAM! daddy kink happened.

"Come on, slave, I know you can take more than that." 

They were in their cell; Daryl on his knees, gripping his Master's thighs as his throat was fucked into over and over by his Master's thick cock. Drool was streaming down his mouth onto his chest, his jaw burning from being open for so long and so far. 

This was the fourth time today his Master had used his mouth. He wanted to see how many times he could force his come down his slave's throat; they had started when they woke up, his Master straddling his chest and pushing his morning wood past his lips, using Daryl to get off. An hour later, he caught Daryl outside and shoved him down to his knees and forced his cock roughly into Daryl's mouth until his slave was crying; in the afternoon Rick had sat in a chair in the guard tower, letting Daryl do the work, bobbing his head up and down on the hard flesh, thanking his Master for the opportunity after each load. 

Now Rick was mercilessly pounding away at his slave's mouth, the thin lips stretched tight around him. It was getting harder to breath, his Master wasn't letting up one bit, one hand gripping his hair and the other on his neck. 

Rick sped up, Daryl knew his Master was close, his own heart was pounding with the knowledge that he was going to get another load of his Master's come. He loved swallowing the thick liquid down, and he had taken so much of it today. 

That he had taken so much of it may have been the reason that when his Master came, he felt his gag reflex react and bile rise in his throat. 

He hit Rick's leg to get his attention and held up three fingers. Rick pulled out immediately, and Daryl dragged their trash can to him and emptied his stomach. 

"Daryl, hey. baby, it's okay, let it out." Rick was kneeling next to him, keeping his hair away from his mouth. Soon the retching stopped, only for it to turn into choked out sobs. 

Daryl was crying, trying to keep the noise down and failing. "'m sorry, Master, I wanted to take it, I wanted to, I promise, but it-it was a lot, there was so much already an' I really wanted to, I know you wanted me to take it, I'm sorry, Master, please don't be mad at me." 

Rick pulled Daryl into his arms, cleaning him up with one of Daryl's rags. "Don't apologize, sweetheart. You never, ever have to say you're sorry for needin' to stop."

"You ain't gonna punish me? I swear I wanted it, we can keep goin' if you want." 

Rick lifted Daryl and laid him down on their bed. "Absolutely not. Using your safeword is never something to be punished." He leaned over and grabbed a bottle of water, opening it and holding it up to Daryl's mouth for him to drink. "I don't think we should keep going tonight. At least not with what we were doin'." 

Daryl looked so sweet, tear tracks from his beautiful blue eyes and taking small, quiet drinks of water. "Maybe you need your Daddy instead. You think you could handle that?"

Rick pulled the bottle away from Daryl, who sniffed and wiped the tears away off of his cheeks with the back of his hand. "We ain't done that in a while."

"I know. We've both been needin' something else lately. Maybe it'd be good to take a break from it." Rick smiled down at his lover, brushing his hair away from his eyes. "I do miss my baby boy."

Daryl blushed. They rarely did this, but he did like the idea of having his Daddy again. It would push him less than Rick being his Master, and after what happened, he needed something less harsh.

He looked up at Rick, pouting just a bit. "I missed you too, Daddy."

Rick grinned. "Really? You missed your Daddy, sweetheart?" 

Daryl cuddled closer to him, curling up against his chest. "Mhmm."

"What do you wanna do with Daddy?" 

"I dunno...kinda want you to touch me." 

Rick rolled on top of Daryl, kissing his neck. Daryl giggled at the tickling sensation of Rick's stubble on his skin. "Yeah? You want me to take care of you, baby? Want me to make you feel good?"

Daryl gasped loudly when Rick ground his hips against Daryl's; his cock had gone soft when he'd thrown up, but was quickly fillling again as Rick pressed against him. Rick kissed his way down the broad chest, taking one dark nipple between his teeth, biting and sucking it until it was erect and flicking his tongue over the hardened bud. He pinched and pulled the other between his fingers, switching his mouth to it soon. He pulled his head away and watched Daryl's face as he rubbed the pads of his index fingers over the stiff peaks. His baby boy was so sensitive everywhere, writhing and whining under him from the stimulation. 

"Daddy, Daddy please-ah, mmm Daddy, please!"

"What do you want, angel? Tell me what you want Daddy to do." 

"Want-I want you to touch...you know...."

Rick smiled and nipped at Daryl's stomach, kissing his belly button and licking into it; seeing the muscles twitch under the soft skin encouraged him to bite down, sucking a bruise into it. "No, baby, I don't know. You need to use your words or Daddy won't know what you want."

Daryl squirmed under him, bringing his hands up to cover his face. "I want you to touch...my...down there." 

Rick went down further, until Daryl's cock was right in front of his face. "Right here? You want me to touch here, baby?" 

Daryl nodded his head. "Yeah, and...." He spread his legs more, "inside, too, please." 

His little boy was so shy and sweet, his cock was straining and dripping. Rick pressed a kiss to the shaft, one hand slipping between his baby boy's legs to brush at his entrance, the other teasing the foreskin of his dick. He knew that was one of Daryl's hot spots; he pulled lightly at the skin, stretching it to lick at the head that peeked through, easily sucking the whole of Daryl's cock into his mouth.

"Ohhhh Daddy, please, I'm gonna- Daddy that's gonna make me come!" 

Rick pulled away, gripping the base of Daryl's cock to prevent his orgasm. "Okay baby, I've got you, don't worry." He kissed his way down over Daryl's tight balls, letting go of his cock before putting his hands behind Daryl's knees, lifting his legs to expose the small, puckered hole. He leaned down and pressed the tip of his tongue to rim, feeling it twitch against the muscle. 

Daryl let out a short squeal, hands flying down to grasp his Daddy's hair and push his mouth closer. Rick happily dove in, flicking his tongue against and licking the tiny hole, feeling it loosen up for him to push deeper. He groaned at the feeling of his baby boy's tight ass clenching on his tongue, Daryl gasping at the vibrations it caused. 

Rick sucked on the rim, keeping his tongue stiff and moving it back and forth; he loved fucking his little boy with his mouth. 

"Daddy, Daddy I'm gettin' close again, it- unnnnn Daddy please, Daddy!" 

Rick shifted Daryl's legs farther up his shoulders, burying his face in Daryl's ass as much as he could. He reached one hand around, wrapping it around his baby boy's hard little dick and playing with the foreskin again, pressing his teeth against the slick, stretched ring of muscle and sucking harder, knowing just how to bring his baby to orgasm. 

"Daddy! Daddy, Daddy oh my god, Daddy I'm comin', Daddy, ah- ah!" 

He let out a choked groan as he came over his Daddy's hand, his hole fluttering around the thick tongue pressed against his inner walls. Rick gently pulled away, taking a moment to admire the clenching, wet hole and quickly softening cock. Rick brought his hand up to his mouth, sucking the come off and smiling at his little boy. 

Rick laid back down next to Daryl, leaning on one elbow and petting Daryl's stomach with his other hand. 

"How was that, baby? Did you like it?" 

Daryl's breathing calmed and he hid his face in the pillow, nodding his head. He turned onto his side to get closer to Rick, making a little noise of surprise when he felt Rick's hard cock against his thigh. 

"Daddy, you're....it's hard."

"Mhmm. You know why it's like that?"

Daryl shook his head. 

"Cause I love makin' you feel good. Makin' you come turns me on so much, baby boy."

He gripped Daryl's chin and held him still, leaning in and kissing him, licking at his lips until they opened, moving his tongue over Daryl's. 

"Daddy, can I...can I touch it?"

Rick looked at him. "Are you sure? After what happened earlier, I don't wanna push you, baby."

Daryl nodded his head. "I'll be okay, Daddy. I wanna touch you, too." 

"Okay, baby. Here," Rick guided Daryl's hand to his cock, "hold it just like this, baby boy, a little tighter. Now move it up and down, okay, angel?"

"Okay Daddy." Daryl followed his instructions, pumping the hard, hot member in his hand, listening to his Daddy's groans.

"It's so much bigger than mine, Daddy, I can't even fit my hand 'round it."

"Fuck, baby, that's good. You like touching Daddy's big cock? It feels good for me too, baby, keep going, just like that, keep stroking, fuck, baby, you're gonna make Daddy come, you want that?"

Daryl sped up his strokes. Rick gripped the back of Daryl's neck, holding him in place. 

"Fuck, baby, that's it, fuck, fuck baby I'm gonna come all over you, that's it, make Daddy come, fuck!" 

Rick let out a low growl as his cock shot out thick spurts of come over Daryl's stomach. He took a moment to catch his breath, resting his forehead against Daryl's. Once he had calmed down, he cleaned the come off of Daryl's stomach with baby wipes, leaning in and blowing a raspberry on the soft skin there. 

It got the desired reaction; his baby boy squirmed and let out a loud giggle. "Daddy! Don't!"

Rick smiled and did it again, keeping his baby boy in place with a firm hold on his hips. Daryl giggled and pushed at Rick's shoulders until he stopped, crawling back up to kiss Daryl, a series of short pecks between laughs. He settled next to Daryl, wrapping their softest blanket around him and holding him tight. He knew this was what Daryl really needed, especially after having to safeword. Rick knew he was going to need to empty out their trash can soon. However, it could wait until Daryl was asleep; it was only early evening, but his baby boy probably needed the rest. He'd wake him up when it was time for dinner later.

"Baby?"

"Mm?"

"Are you okay?"

Daryl nodded against his neck. "Yeah, Daddy. Guess I'm still feelin' bad about havin' to stop earlier."

Rick held him tighter. "I'm gonna try and make this as clear as possible: no matter what, if I hurt you or push you too far or if you just don't like what's happening, all you have to do is say three, and it stops. I may be your Master and Daddy, but you control when we stop and you never need to feel bad about needing that. Doesn't matter if we're fuckin' or if I'm punishing you, you can tell me to stop. Just like if I needed to stop. It's not something to apologize for."

Daryl let out a quiet, happy moan, snuggling closer to the warmth and safety of his Daddy's arms. "Thank you. Kinda needed that." 

Rick kissed his hair. "You also need to sleep, sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up." 

Daryl smiled. He knew that. Rick was always there for him when he needed him, in every way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so not satisfied with the ending -_- i just wanted to get it done


	3. Property

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick catches Daryl touching what doesn't belong to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there is a very brief mention of watersports, i know that's one of those kinks people are more ehhh at so i want to give everyone a due warning

Daryl woke up earlier than Rick, just like usual. It was going to be- hopefully- a lazy day at the prison. There were no runs that needed to be ran, the fences were freshly reinforced, there was plenty of meat from Daryl's latest hunt and vegetables from the garden to eat.

No one had to do anything today, other than take watch. Rick had a shift for a few hours this evening but other than that, they were both free for the whole day. Daryl hoped they would spend their free time with Judith and Carl; Daryl had been out for a week and sorely missed the two children.

Of course, he was also hoping to spend some time with his Master later that night. Rick had taken Daryl's cage off the night before, having made his slave wear it the entire time he was out hunting. Every time Daryl had taken a piss, he'd felt a little happy thrill run through him at the sight of his little dick all locked up for his Master. Daryl really did love having the cage on. It made him feel owned, and taken care of.

Daryl got out of bed, careful to not wake Rick. Rick was going through another period of sleep trouble and needed all the rest he could get. Daryl looked at his lover. His beard was growing out, along with his hair, and the lines around his face had grown deep. Daryl smiled and lightly ran his hand over Rick's curls, heart melting when Rick leaned into the touch.

Daryl grabbed some clean clothes and his towel. It was early enough that no one would be in the showers and the only person he was really comfortable having around while he bathed was Rick, and Daryl still mostly preferred to be alone while he was in the showers. He quickly stripped down and pulled the curtain closed. Thank god they'd put up the privacy curtains; Daryl would go out to the woods and wash up if they hadn't. He pumped some water and let it wash over him. Daryl let out a groan; it was the _perfect_ temperature.

He felt his muscles relax at the sensation of the water hitting his sore back. Daryl washed his hair first, then scrubbed at his body with one of the bars of soap nearby. It felt so good to be clean, to have the dirt and sweat wash down the drain. Daryl brushed over his cock on accident and inhaled sharply. He wasn't allowed to touch himself without Rick's permission, and he rarely ever even got hard unless his Master was around. Daryl closed his eyes and tried to will the hard on away, trying to think of anything that would make it go down. But, try as he might, all his thoughts went to his Master and the way he had touched Daryl the night before, gently taking off his cage and sucking his little cock until Daryl came, a gift for going a whole week without an orgasm.

His Master was so sweet.

Daryl's hand moved to his cock without thinking, rubbing his palm over it, down to his small, tight balls. He leaned back against the shower wall, out of the spray. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, and he could probably stop if he tried, but it felt so good, and the pressure of his hand was _just_ right-

"And what do you think you're doing, slave?"

Daryl's eyes shot open; he hadn't even heard Rick approach. Rick was naked,and hard, but Daryl barely noticed that, his eyes were focused on the angry look on his Master's face. 

"I'm-I'm sorry, Master, I didn't, I just wasn't thinking, Master, please, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry-"

"Stop."

Daryl put his hands at his side and stopped talking. Rick stepped closer, grabbing the back of his slave's neck and pushing his head down until he was looking at the ground.

"Am I not satisfying you?"

"What, Master?"

Rick slapped his side, the sound wet and loud in the otherwise empty shower. 

"Am I not satisfying you? Apparently I'm not making you come enough, since you feel the need to touch yourself. You're breaking a rule and I want to know why."

Daryl shook his head as best he could in his Master's grip. "No, no, Master, I promise that ain't it, you make me come enough, I just-"

"So you just wanted to disobey me? Did you think you'd get away with touching yourself? You know you're not supposed to touch what's not yours." Rick gripped Daryl's now-soft cock in his free hand. "Because this certainly doesn't belong to you. Who _does_ this belong to, slave?"

Daryl winced as Rick tightened his hold. "You! You, Master, it belongs to you."

"So tell me why you were touching it."

"I'm sorry, Master, I just...I was takin' a shower and it felt real good to be clean and everythin' and I went a week without comin' and I-I was gonna tell you, after, I was gonna apologize for doin' it, I swear."

Rick sighed and let go of Daryl's cock and neck. He ran one hand through Daryl's hair. "Okay, slave, I understand. You just weren't thinkin, huh? You were even gonna be a good slave and say sorry for breakin' the rules."

"Yes, Master, I's gonna say sorry. It was stupid a' me to do it, I shouldn'ta been an idiot."

Rick grabbed his neck again and forced him to make eye contact. "Don't call yourself stupid, slave. Don't talk about yourself like that. It's not true, and it's an insult to me."

"Master?"

"You're my property, slave. Any insult to you is on me, no matter who it comes from; you or someone else. And I'm damn proud of what I own. I don't want to hear you talkin' like that about yourself again, slave."

Daryl felt his face heat up. "Yes, Master. I won't say nothing like that again."

Rick patted his cheek and pulled away. 

"Good. Now go get dressed. I was gonna surprise you by takin' a shower with you and giving you a chance to bathe me, but now I need time to think of your punishment. Go wake up the kids and make sure they eat. Get my food ready while you're there, then something for yourself. I shouldn't be too long."

Daryl nodded, his head down in shame. Rick pulled him back for a moment for a long, gentle kiss. "Hey, I promise I'll be down soon, okay? I'll be with you all day today." 

"Okay, Master. Thank you." 

Rick knew his slave needed reassurance that he wasn't going to be left alone, and whether or not he'd broken a rule and needed to be punished, Rick would never let Daryl think he'd be abandoned or that Rick would hurt him.

Rick sighed as he pumped more water. What would be a good way to punish his slave for this?

\---

Daryl had gotten what he wanted from the day. He and Rick had spent the whole day with Carl and Judith, playing outside and eating together and even taking a nap together out in the sun. 

Daryl was still sitting outside with Judith, rocking her in his arms in the warm spring air, talking quietly with Maggie and Hershel when Rick walked up to them, a black duffle bag over his shoulder. 

Rick set the bag down and Daryl gently laid Judith in his arms. Seeing Rick with his daughter always made him looks years younger. He cooed at her, a huge smile on his face. 

Maggie grinned at the sight. "You 'bout to take your shift?"

"Mhm. Wanted to see Judith first, and grab Daryl. Takin' him to keep me company."

Daryl's face turned bright red. He knew what that meant. Sadly, he was pretty sure Maggie and Hershel knew it too; it certainly seemed like they did from the looks they shot him. 

"Well, let me take Judith. Wouldn't wanna keep you two waitin'." 

Rick handed his daughter over to Maggie, giving the infant a kiss on her soft, light hair. He said goodbye to the father and daughter before making his way to the guard tower. Daryl grabbed the bag off the ground before kissing Judith and following Rick, ignoring the comment about 'cleaning up after themselves' that Hershel made. 

Daryl felt his stomach twist in a mix of excitement and dread. He knew his Master was going to punish him and it must be something big, if it required a bag of supplies. Glenn passed him by on he stairs, giving a friendly smile and greeting that Daryl could only half-hearedly return. Soon he was alone in the tower with his Master. 

"Lock the door. I don't want anyone interrupting us."

Daryl clicked the lock shut and nervously held the bag. 

"Strip. Then kneel and unpack the bag, neatly."

Daryl followed the instructions, folding his clothes and setting them in the corner and kneeling in front of Rick. He unzipped the bag, his eyes going wide at the contents. 

He carefully took out the lengths of rope, the ball gag, the four bullet vibrators they owned, and a bottle of lube, and set them in a line on the floor. 

"You're getting tied up and gagged today, slave."

Daryl knew that that was his Master's way of asking if that was okay or if they needed to find something else to do. His Master never asked outright, but he always made sure Daryl had a way out. 

"Okay, Master." 

Rick smiled at him briefly before getting back to the business at hand. He crouched down next to Daryl and started tying him up, intricately wrapping and knotting the ropes around his chest, arms, and legs, until he was on his back and unable to move, apart from his feet.

Rick fastened the gag around his slave's head. "This is here so you don't make too much noise. If you need to slow down or stop, you're going to use your feet. Tap your left foot twice on the ground."

Daryl moved his bare foot up and down like he was told, making sure to do it hard enough to make noise but not hurt.

"Now do it three times."

Daryl tapped his foot three times.

"Good, slave, you're doing a good job. Now, for your actual punishment-" Rick popped open the cap on the lube and poured some on his fingers, "since you wanted to come so badly this morning, I figured I should be nice and I should let you."

Rick slid one slick finger into Daryl's exposed hole. "But you're not gonna come through your dick. That belongs to me and you didn't have permission to touch what belongs to me. And this," Rick pushed a second finger in, scissoring them and stretching the ring of muscle, "is a _much_ more useful part of you, anyway. You'd come too easy if I just got you off with that little cock of yours. This way I can draw it out. Have some fun watching you squirm when I stuff your slutty little hole full of these toys."

Daryl moaned around the gag and bit into it, his ass clamping down on his Master's fingers. Rick stretched him open a while longer, finishing by twisting three fingers and pressing hard on his slave's prostate. He lubed up the first vibrator and carefully pushed it into Daryl, further until the wire connecting it to the remote was almost entirely concealed. Rick set it on the lowest setting while he worked the second one in. They were all relatively small with remotes connected to them; one of his favorite things to do was make his slave keep one buzzing away in him while he worked around the prison. 

Soon he was slipping the last one in, carefully arranging the wires and remotes to lay a certain way. They were all on their lowest settings and Rick could tell his slave was already feeling it. Daryl's thighs were shaking and he was letting out a stream of low moans. Rick turned up the setting on one vibrator and walked away to stand near the window. He was on watch, after all. 

The fact that he got to listen to his slave's increasing whimpers and cries was a treat. 

It didn't take long for him to hear the muffled yell and a hitch in Daryl's breath. He looked over just in time to see his slave's cock twitch and shoot come onto his stomach. Daryl's chest heaved and his hips tried to jerk upwards. Once Daryl's breath calmed down, he tried to squirm away from the sensation of the vibrators still going inside him. 

It was cute. 

"Oh, those aren't going off just because you came. I figure maybe I really wasn't satisfying you. So I'm gonna catch up today." 

Rick reached down and turned up two more of the vibrators onto their highest setting, and wiped away some of the tears that started spilling from his slave's eyes. "So be a good slave and keep comin'."

 

Daryl pulled at his restraints, knowing it was futile. His Master was too good with ropes to give him any leeway. Daryl's ass ached from the fullness and he felt himself get hard again at the vibrations assaulting his prostate. Daryl knew he deserved this, being forced to come until it hurt. His Master had given him a fitting punishment.

Rick spent the next hour looking out the window, occasionally switching the settings on the vibrators, at one point putting them all on high and digging the tip of his boot into his slave's lower abdomen, knowing just where to press to make the pressure unbearably strong. His slave came again then, a smaller amount. Some of it landed on Rick's boot and he laughed, telling his slave that he was going to have to clean that up. 

The hour after that, Rick took all but one vibrator out of his slave, pressing his fingers in alongside it, massaging the beaten little bundle of nerves until his slave's eyes were unfocused and he was screaming around the gag. His slave's face was covered in tears and drool, and Rick couldn't help but add to it, spitting at his slave's face, using his hands to smear it over his eyes and into his hair. That was what made Daryl orgasm then; it was the perfect level of humiliation for his slave, and Rick loved degrading him. If they had been in the showers, Rick might've pissed on him, but his slave would have enjoyed that too much for it to be a punishment. 

His slave's body had gone limp at that point and he was quietly crying against his gag. His cock gave a futile twitch, trying to respond the stimulation but unable to. Rick waited a while longer; his shift was almost done, and his slave had been punished thoroughly enough. Rick kneeled down, carefully removing the vibrator that was left before starting the process of untying his slave. Rick carefully pulled Daryl close to lean on him, undoing the knots keeping his arms trapped. He loosened the gag and pulled it away from Daryl's mouth. Rick started gently rubbing Daryl's joints, from his slackened jaw to his legs. He would have to wait until they were back in their cell to give him a proper massage, which Rick always did after bondage scenes; he wouldn't put his slave through any _unnecessary_ discomfort or pain. 

Rick carefully lifted Daryl into his arms and sat on one of the chairs in the guard room. He arranged his slave to sit on his lap, curled up against Rick's chest. Rick ran one of his hands over Daryl's hair, petting him, trying to sooth him. His slave was still crying, his body shaking a little. 

"Hey. Two, okay? You alright?"

Daryl nodded but didn't speak. 

"I need you to actually talk, slave. Have you learned your lesson?"

Daryl's voice was quiet and hoarse. "Yes, Master."

Rick reached under his slave, pressing one finger into his loose, wet hole. "Who does this belong to?"

"You, Master."

Rick carefully gripped his slave's small, soft cock, getting a pained whimper from the man in his lap. "Who does this belong to?"

"Y-you, Master."

"Do you promise to not touch what's mine without permission in the future?"

"Yes, Master."

Rick hugged Daryl tightly to his chest. "Good, slave. You did so well taking your punishment. You know you need to tell me if I'm not satisfying you, right? If you need more from me, you just have to say so. I won't be mad."

Daryl nodded against Rick's neck. "Okay, Master. Thank....thank You for teachin' me my lesson. I won't touch what's yours again without askin'." 

Rick smiled and kissed his slave on the top of his head. "I know you won't, baby."

They sat for a while in silence, Rick petting and kissing Daryl, watching the sky grow dark.

"Master?"

"Yes?"

"I...I don't know if I can walk back."

Rick couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. Daryl grumbled and shifted in his lap. 

"That's okay, slave. I'll get you cleaned up and dressed and I'll carry you back."

Daryl moved until he could look in Rick's eyes. "Really, Master? You'll carry me? What if people say somethin'?"

"I'll just tell 'em you fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you. None of their business anyway what I do with my property."

Daryl smiled and curled back up against his Master, comfortably cuddled into his chest, enjoying the warmth his Master provided. 

His Master really was sweet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so...okay...i'm not really happy with this one? like. i kinda forced it out and i feel like it shows. but i really wanted to get this chapter out. like i don't think it's bad but it's not the best one in the series. (also: holy craaaaaaaaaaaaappppp i do not know how to do a consistent point of view :P)


	4. Look

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl doesn't think he's beautiful. Rick gives him a chore to work on his self-image.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY. SO. this is actually an au inside the au. this particular one takes place in a no apocalypse universe where rick and daryl have been together for about a year, after being friends for two. this does deal with a lot of body image issues, plus there are fairly explicit mentions of past rape and abuse. please tread carefully, friends.
> 
> also this chapter is kinda long :P

Daryl hated the mirror. 

 

It was a full-body, antique, hand-me-down from Rick's grandparents and it sat in the corner of their living room and Daryl hated it. Not because it was ugly; the wood frame was dark and beautifully carved, and the mirror itself had been well-maintained and cleaned. It was really a lovely piece. 

 

Daryl hated the mirror because he well and truly did not like seeing his reflection. He never had. He hated the mirror because he hated himself. His shoulders were huge, and he had a few dark moles scattered across his body and a weird one on his face. He couldn't grow a real beard and his chest hair was sparse and uneven. The only place he seemed to really be able to grow substantial hair was his scalp. His cock was small and uncut, he always thought his eyes looked odd, and his smile was lopsided. 

 

He didn't understand how Rick could love him and tell him he was beautiful so often; Rick's body was perfect. His soft, curly hair, his full beard, muscles carved like a marble statue. He had one large scar, but it was from being shot while protecting someone. All of Daryl's scars were from him being afraid or stupid. Daryl certainly didn't understand why Rick had agreed to be his Master. 

 

Daryl liked to think about that night.

 

\---

 

"Fuck, it's really comin' down."

 

Rick handed Daryl a towel. "You didn't have to drive over here on your motorcycle, I could've picked you up."

 

"With those shitty brakes? No way. Sorry I haven't gotten to look at those yet."

 

Daryl rubbed the towel through his hair and over his face. The ride hadn't taken that long, but it was like a damn hurricane outside and his clothes were soaked through. 

 

"You can go get some of my clothes and change into them." Rick kissed Daryl on the cheek and went to the kitchen, saying he was going to make some tea for them. Daryl felt himself blush as he pulled his boots off. Rick was the sweetest boyfriend he'd ever had. 

 

Daryl walked into Rick's bedroom. He had never actually looked around the room before. They had slept in Rick's bed on a few occasions, but nothing more than that. Daryl had no idea where Rick's clothes would be, but there was a large dresser against one wall. He opened up the top drawer, and felt his face heat up when he saw Rick's boxers. 

 

He pulled out a pair and closed the drawer. He stripped off his wet clothes, drying the rest of his body off before slipping the boxers on. They were different than what he usually wore, but it felt nice wearing something of Rick's, especially something so intimate. Daryl opened the next drawer and pulled out a plain white t-shirt. It was a little tight on him, and rode up whenever he stretched his arms. 

 

Rick probably wouldn't mind the little flash of skin.

 

He opened the third drawer and paused. 

 

Those...certainly weren't clothes. 

 

There was a huge array of sex toys; plugs, vibrators, dildos, cock rings, two riding crops, blindfolds, ropes, handcuffs, and quite a few things Daryl didn't even know the name of. 

Daryl knew he should close the drawer and ignore what he saw and try and find some pants to wear, but he couldn't stop himself from reaching in and running his fingers along the smooth riding crops and the cold metal of the handcuffs. The ropes were thick, but not coarse, and the blindfolds were soft. There were some gags under them that Daryl hadn't seen, and he started rifling through the contents of the drawer, realizing there really were a lot of things the he had never seen before. He picked up a set of steel rods that were all the same length but different girths. 

 

Daryl touched the thinnest one. He wondered what they were for.

 

"Hey, are you findin' everything okay? You been in here a while and-"

 

Daryl's head shot up as Rick walked into the room. Rick eyes widened when he saw Daryl kneeling on the floor in front of the drawer. 

 

"I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't-I know I shouldn'ta looked, Rick, I's just lookin' for clothes and.."

 

Rick sighed, setting the two mugs in his hands on the nightstand and coming to crouch next to Daryl. "It's okay, Daryl. I should have told you where the clothes were. Maybe I wanted you to find these. I've been tryin' to think of a way to tell you about...all this."

 

Daryl set everything back where it had been. "What d'you mean?"

 

Rick closed the drawer and sat on the bed, pulling Daryl with him. 

 

"Back when I was in college, I had some money issues and needed somethin' that would pay well while still givin' me time to actually do schoolwork. And by that time, I had already found out I had some...there were some things that I enjoyed doing during sex. And I knew some people would pay for me to do those things with them and to them. So I started reading up on how to get started and I bought some supplies and started puttin' myself out as..." 

 

Rick rubbed his hand over his face and let out a nervous laugh. "It's still so weird to say. I started puttin' myself out as a professional Dom and Master. I ended up bein' really popular, which was...it was really weird, at first, but I had clients almost every night. Some would pay a thousand for a few hours." Rick turned his body towards Daryl, setting his hand on Daryl's knee. "I wanted to tell you about it and about...what I'm into, and I was gonna, I just didn't really know how. I didn't want to be at dinner and blurt out 'I like for my partners to be my slaves and I get off on having complete control over a person.' That just seemed wrong. And I was worried that you wouldn't...that it would make you wanna break up with me."

 

Daryl put his hand over Rick's. "Why would I break up with you over that?"

 

"Because...I know it's weird. Bein' into all that. I've had relationships end because the person wasn't into BDSM or thought it was wrong and even more people don't wanna be with someone who used to be a sex worker. And...well, I did it for a long time, Daryl. I only retired four years ago."

 

"Rick, I ain't gonna leave you 'cause of that. I don't care what you used to do or how long you did it, hell, you could still be doin' it, and I'd get jealous and probably worry that you'd end up dumpin' me, but I wouldn't stop you from doin' it. And...I mean...we're kinda into the same things. 'Cept I'm on the more...recievin' end, I guess."

 

Rick looked up at him, eyes wide. "You are? I-I had my suspicions, but I didn't wanna assume." 

 

"I've only ever been in one relationship like it, and it was when I was a little younger. The way it ended kinda...I was kinda too scared to do it again."

 

"Did he...mistreat you?"

 

Daryl looked at their joined hands. "He-it was really shitty. He broke one of my hard limits, like, one of the ones that are an absolute 'no'. He said it was punishment for somethin' I did, and I always took my punishments, like when he'd make me sleep outside or kneel on gravel, but that one-"

 

"He did what?"

 

Rick was angry now, Daryl could tell. They had known each other for two years and been dating for three months and Daryl knew what every kind of Rick's anger looked like. Right at this moment, he looked about ready to go find Daryl's ex and strangle him. Daryl shifted and crossed his arms over his chest. 

 

"I deserved 'em, Rick, I kept fuckin' up. They sucked but they wouldn'ta happened if I had been better."

 

"Daryl, I don't know what this guy told you, but it doesn't sound like he treated you like a master should. What made you break up with him?"

 

"Rick, it-it wasn't that big a deal-"

 

"Please?"

 

Daryl sighed. "There was one night where he saw me kinda flirtin' with this guy at a bar. And me and him weren't really together, you know? It was kinda like havin' a fuck buddy. But he still got real jealous whenever I'd talk to other guys, even though he went off and fucked a bunch of girls all the time. But there was this cute bartender I'd talk to a lot, and he saw us talkin' one night and slipped somethin' in my drink and brought me back to his house, and I was real out of it cause of what he gave me, but I still could kinda tell what was happening. He invited some of his friends over and said if I wanted other guys, then...they took turns. All of 'em. Once they were done, he drove me back to my apartment and left me at the door. It was fuckin' horrible. I don't like bein' with more than one person, even just for fuckin'. It makes me uncomfortable. I always feel like I'd get left behind. And that night was just..."

 

Daryl shivered, thinking back to the hazy memory of men touching him.

 

"Daryl, I-I don't know what to say. I wanna kill that man."

 

Rick moved onto his knees on the floor in front of Daryl. "We don't have to be Master and slave, Daryl, not if it's somethin' that would remind you of that."

 

"What? No, I want to, Rick. I need to. I know you won't do nothin' like that to me. I'm a little nervous about gettin' back into it, but now that I know you wanna do it, that you're into it, it's what I want. 

 

"Only if you're absolutely sure."

 

"I am."

 

\---

 

Rick had been his Master for six months now, and it had been the most fulfilling relationship Daryl had ever had. Rick never gave cruel punishments, and he introduced Daryl to aftercare. His previous master had never done that, but whenever Rick tied him up or beat him, he'd gently hold him and soothe him afterward, telling him how sweet he was and how well his slave did. He'd even gotten a collar for Daryl, a thick, brown leather piece that Daryl wore every day, the weight a comforting reminder of who he belonged to.

 

Four months into their new dynamic, Rick had gotten the mirror. And Daryl hated it from day one. Before that they had only had the one in the bathroom, and that was easy to avoid. Rick always old him how attractive he thought Daryl was, but no matter how often his Master praised and complimented his looks, Daryl couldn't bring himself to believe it. Everyone had always told him he was ugly, and one person, no matter how important that person was to Daryl, would convince him otherwise. 

 

And the mirror was so hard to avoid. Whenever Daryl caught his reflection he'd feel worse and worse. But he couldn't tell Rick that he didn't like it. Rick had been very close with his grandparents and didn't want him to put something that meant that much to him in storage or a closet. So Daryl lived with it, doing his best to ignore the mirror. 

 

He did a fairly good job, until one night.

 

They had been sitting on the couch, and Rick had pulled Daryl into his lap so that his back was to Rick. Rick had started mouthing at the back of his neck above his collar, his hands tight on Daryl's hips, pushing his clothed erection up against Daryl's ass. And Daryl would have enjoyed it, if it he hadn't been able to see himself in the damn mirror. 

 

"Rick, wait-two."

 

Rick stopped kissing and touching him, letting Daryl sit back on the couch. "What's wrong? You usually love bein' in my lap like that."

 

"I know, I just don't wanna do it out here."

 

"Any reason why? It's fine, but we've had sex on the couch before."

 

Daryl crossed his arms over his chest and turned his body away from the mirror slightly. 

 

"It's...it's nothin'. Can we just go to the bedroom or somethin'?"

 

"Daryl, when you say that, it makes me think somethin' is really actually wrong." Rick scooted closer and slid his arms around Daryl, kissing around his collar again. "Come on, darlin'. You know you can tell me, I ain't gonna get mad."

 

Daryl sighed, leaning into Rick's embrace. "It's just...it's the mirror."

 

"The...mirror? The one in the corner?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"What about it?"

 

"I don't-I'd be able to see us doin' it."

 

Rick pulled away slightly, brows furrowed in confusion. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to fuck out here. Thought it might be hot to see ourselves in the mirror while you're riding my cock."

 

"I don't wanna watch myself, Rick. I don't like lookin' in the damn bathroom mirror to shave, and that one's just my face. This one I can see everythin', and if we fucked I'd be able to see even more."

 

Rick tugged at Daryl's collar until he was looking at him. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't you want to see yourself? You're beautiful."

 

"Rick, come on. I ain't. I'm all...I'm..."

 

"What?"

 

"You know..." Daryl's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "ugly."

 

Rick just stared at him, blinking and frowning. "Excuse me?"

 

"Don't make me talk about it, Rick. I know you're just gonna say I'm wrong."

 

"That's because you are wrong."

 

Daryl turned his head away and spoke sharply. "Fuck off."

 

Rick's eyes narrowed and Daryl froze. 

 

"What was that?"

 

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say-"

 

"Quiet. Now."

 

Rick's voice was deeper with anger, and Daryl shut his mouth and dropped his head, chin resting on his chest, the edge of his collar pressed into his throat. Rick stood, hands on his hips.

 

"Slave, you know not to speak to me like that. We've come too damn far. But it does let me know that this is a serious problem. Yes or no: you think you're ugly?"

 

"Yes, Master."

 

"That's unacceptable. Do you know why?"

 

"No, Master."

 

Rick kneeled down in front of Daryl, ducking his head down until he made eye contact. "Because you're mine. That collar on your neck shows that you're my property and I won't have anyone disrespecting my property, especially not the most beautiful, treasured thing I own. I don't know what exactly we're going to do about this, but I'm not lettin' it slide. Hey." Rick held Daryl's hands in his. "I am not going to do anything you don't want. This is gonna work just like every other time. If you need to stop or if you can't do it, you tell me. But I want you to try, okay? I need you to try."

 

Daryl nodded, pulling his hand out of Rick's hold to rub at his wet eyes. "Okay, Master. I-I'll try." 

 

Rick brought the hand he still held to his lips, kissing over the knuckles. "That's my good slave."

 

\---

 

That had been three days ago. Daryl had worked hard to be an attentive slave for those three days, still trying to make up for being rude to Rick. 

 

When they first met, Daryl had tried to pick fights with Rick all the time, and it wasn't until one night of yelling back and forth that Daryl finally broke down and told Rick he only did it because he was afraid; he thought Rick would leave him, realize his friendship wasn't worth the time, that Daryl wasn't worth the time. Rick had been understanding and just held him and stayed with him. Daryl stopped, until they officially started dating. 

 

Of course, that time Rick had known the reason and been able to more easily coax Daryl out of that behavior.

 

Daryl rarely spoke against his Master now. When Daryl submitted, he submitted fully, and he agreed with Rick on most things, anyway. But he had screwed up. Rick had punished him that night for what he'd said, but Daryl had understood and taken it well; Rick bent Daryl over his knee and spanked his ass red. Daryl kept count and let his tears flow and Rick had kissed them away afterward. 

 

Daryl had just woken up and was making coffee; Rick had the next few days off and Daryl wondered if Rick had come up with a plan yet. The thought made Daryl nervous. 

He heard the shuffle of Rick's bare feet across the carpet and then the tile, and felt strong arms wrap around him from behind. 

 

Rick rested his head on Daryl's shoulder. "Mornin'."

 

Daryl noticed that Rick was holding his collar. "Mornin', Master. Did you sleep good?"

 

"Mhmm. You makin' breakfast?"

 

"Yup. It'll be ready in about thirty minutes."

 

"Wait for a while."

 

Daryl started the coffemaker and turned in Rick's arms. "Master?"

 

Rick grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room. Daryl glanced at the mirror. 

 

"Finally thought of somethin' to do about this problem with your body that you're havin'. Strip."

 

Daryl hesitantly pulled his shirt off and slid his boxers down his legs. He folded both and set them on the coffee table. Rick looked him over, admiring some healing bruises from the past few nights. He walked around Daryl, who kept his hands at his sides and eyes forward. 

 

Rick fastened the collar around Daryl's neck like he did every morning, shifting it so that the buckle rested in the back and the shiny ring sat in the hollow of Daryl's throat. Daryl smiled at the sensation of snug leather. 

 

"You're not wearing any clothes today, slave. We're both staying home and you're spending the whole day like this. Well, you'll be wearing one more thing."

 

Daryl's frowned as Rick reached into the pocket of his pajama pants and pulled out a black permanent marker. Rick took the cap off and started writing on Daryl's chest. Once he finished, he turned Daryl so that he could see himself in the mirror.

 

He had written 'slave' across Daryl's pecs, and 'Property of: Rick Grimes' under it, in the center of his ribcage. Rick's name was in his signature, and even though Daryl was looking at his own body, he felt warmth spread through him knowing that Rick had signed him like that. He loved the little marks of ownership his Master left on him.

 

"Slave?"

 

"Yes, Master?"

 

"You're gonna have an extra chore today. Once every hour, you're gonna come in here and look at yourself in this mirror. You're gonna look at yourself and every time, you're gonna pick one thing about your body that's beautiful. Then you're gonna write down what that thing is and at the end of the day, you're gonna show me the list. Do you understand?"

 

"Yes, Master."

 

"Is this somethin' you can do?"

 

"It's-I can try, Master."

 

"Okay. That's good enough for me right now. If you need to stop, tell me, but I know you can do this. It's seven-twenty now, so you'll start at eight."

 

"Yes, Master." 

 

Rick smiled and slid his arms around him again, kissing at his shoulders and neck. "Now how 'bout you go make us breakfast? Be careful, slave."

 

Daryl pressed back against Rick before walking to the kitchen. "I'll be careful, Master."

 

\---

 

At eight, Daryl finished his breakfast and went into the living room, taking a deep breath and looking in the mirror. 

 

His body was fully displayed and it was hard to look at, but he forced himself to. Daryl was going to try his hardest to do this for his Master. 

 

Daryl frowned at his reflection. He thought about what Rick told him was attractive about him. He knew Rick liked his eyes. His Master always said they were deep as the ocean and twice as pretty. Daryl always huffed at that. He leaned in to look at his eyes closer. 

 

They were kind of a pretty color, and the shape wasn't too awful, now that Daryl looked at them. He opened his eyes wide and squinted, keeping one open and closing the other. Daryl couldn't help but laugh a little. It felt silly, making faces in the mirror, but it made it easier to handle. He grabbed the small notepad and pen that Rick had given him for his chore. 

 

He had officially started his list. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

 

\---

 

It was bad. 

 

The second point had been easy, because the light had come in and hit his hair in a way that showed all the subtle differences in color; the third point had been about the way his skin carried his Master's marks, but then he had turned around and looked at his back. 

 

There was no way that was beautiful. No way in hell.

 

The long scars that cut across his skin were so big and ugly. How could Rick stand to look at them? 

 

Daryl calmed his breathing and tried to ignore his back. He looked further, to his legs. They were okay. His calves were nicely toned and his thighs were thick. Rick always paid attention to Daryl's thighs, kissing over faded scars and rubbing his beard against the sensitive skin. Daryl could stand to put those on his list.

 

Four things. He was doing a good job. He could do this.

 

\---

Three points later and Daryl was getting more used to looking at himself. It still wasn't very enjoyable, but it was less and less difficult as each hour passed. It was three in the afternoon now, and he'd made lunch for Rick and himself; Rick had sat in the plush recliner in the living room and picked out something to watch on Netflix, while Daryl happily sat at his feet. He'd laid his head down on his Master's lap and had almost dozed off at the feeling of long fingers brushing through his hair. 

 

Then it was time for him to look in the mirror again, but Rick watched him this time and that made it harder. He could see his Master's eyes following him. Daryl caught his Master's gaze in the mirror and batted his eyelashes. Daryl ran his hands over his chest, keeping eye contact with his Master. He stroked over the ink, tracing Rick's signature, before trailing one finger down the center of his chest to just above his cock. 

 

"Slow down there, slave. I didn't give you permission to go touchin'." 

 

"Master, can we please do somethin'?"

 

"Mmm. Maybe. Why should we?"

 

Daryl looked over his shoulder at Rick. "My little cock is gettin' really hard. I won't be able to concentrate on my chores if I'm horny. All I'll be thinkin' 'bout is how good it would feel to get fucked by You, Master."

 

Rick looked like he was thinking it over. He nodded at Daryl and Daryl quickly made his way to the recliner, standing in front of Rick. 

 

"Turn around and bend over. Keep your legs apart and reach back to spread that pretty ass open for me. Let me see you."

 

Daryl followed the instruction, blushing at the knowledge that his hole was completely exposed. He took deep breaths, feeling his muscles tense. 

 

Daryl gasped as he felt Rick press one slick finger against his entrance. It slid in easily; Rick must have used the lube they kept stashed in the recliner's cushion. Rick thrusted his finger in all the way, pulling it out, over and over. It felt so good to have his Master touch him, but Daryl needed more. His little cock was full and he pushed his hips back against the finger. 

 

"Need more, slave? Want me to fill up that hungry little asshole?"

 

"Yes, yes, fuck, Master, please."

 

"Come on, slave."

 

Rick removed his hand and walked to the bedroom, fingers hooked into Daryl's collar, pulling him along. He pushed Daryl down on the bed, going to his dresser and opening the third drawer. When he turned back, Daryl could see his Master had grabbed the spreader bar and their biggest vibrator.

 

"On your back, slave. Head over the edge."

 

Daryl got into position and his Master quickly restrained his ankles and wrists with the cuffs on the spreader bar. His legs were going to ache after this, but he didn't mind, not when he felt his Master push two fingers into him again. Rick was stretching him open as fast as he could, three fingers spreading his hole open for the vibrator. It wasn't as big as Rick, but it was thick enough to stretch him and the vibrations were powerful. 

 

Rick slid it into Daryl slowly, thrusting it back and forth a few times, letting his slave feel the drag against his insides. Rick turned it onto it's lowest setting and moved to the other side of the bed where Daryl's head was. Rick tugged Daryl a little closer and unzipped his jeans, pulling his cock out, stroking it a few times.

 

Rick hooked his thumb into Daryl's mouth until it opened. 

 

"Come on, slave, open that pretty little mouth for me. That's it."

 

Rick pushed the head of his cock past Daryl's lips, and they both groaned at the sensation. Daryl loved this position, it was so easy for his Master to fuck his throat like this, to really fuck it, until it felt raw.

 

Daryl's jaw stretched painfully around the thick member. Daryl ran his tongue along the veins he could feel, sucking the cock further into his mouth. Rick slowly pressed in, until the head was being squeezed by the muscles in his slave's throat. Rick looked down at Daryl and moaned. He could almost see the outline of his cock. 

 

Rick wrapped one hand around Daryl's throat lightly above his collar and Daryl let out a squeal muffled by the dick stuffing his mouth. Rick leaned over, his cock pressing just that much deeper, and turned the vibrator up to the highest setting. Daryl screamed around him then, and Rick bucked his hips. 

 

"Fuck, slave, keep fuckin' screamin'. You like having all your holes stuffed up? Like gaggin' on my dick?"

 

Daryl groaned around the soft, hot flesh and swallowed around the thick head. It was almost overwhelming, the taste of his Master, feeling the huge cock dragging against his tongue and pushing deep into his throat, the vibrator stretching his ass open and buzzing right up on his prostate. He tugged against the cuffs on his arms and legs, trying to press the vibrator deeper inside while keeping his Master's cock down his throat. 

 

Rick pressed his hand down on Daryl's throat again, over the collar this time, loving how his slave's face turned red and tears streamed quickly from his eyes. Rick looked to Daryl's hands to make sure he wasn't holding up a number. He held the center of the spreader bar with both hands. 

 

"I'm gettin' close, slave, you ready?"

 

Daryl held up his index finger. Rick grinned.

 

Rick started thrusting faster into his slave's tight throat, slick, thin pink lips tight around his shaft. 

 

"Ah-ah fuck, fuck I'm gonna come, slave, fuck, ah!" 

 

His cock twitched in the tight channel and he thrust in until his balls were pressed against Daryl's nose. Rick groaned at the sensation of his slave swallowing his load down; he touched his slave's neck and felt it move and struggle under his hand. Rick pulled out as gently as he could. 

 

Daryl coughed and choked once his Master was out of him, making sure to swallow all the come he'd been given. He was so close, his cock was aching and leaking steadily onto his soft tummy. The vibrator was still pressing against his prostate and Daryl was shocked that he'd lasted this long, but he knew he'd come immediately if his cock was touched. 

 

Rick took a second to catch his breath, and to let Daryl calm down. 

 

"You need'ta come? That tiny little thing 'tween your legs looks like it's 'bout to burst. You're doin' a real good job, slave."

 

Rick moved Daryl so that his head was on the pillows, kneeling next to him and grabbing the base of the vibrator. He started to push it deeper into Daryl, pulling it out all the way, pushing it back in. Daryl whimpered and wiggled his hips. 

 

"Master please, please, I need it, Master, please lemme come!"

 

Rick pressed the vibrator all the way into Daryl, jamming it against his prostate, and gripped Daryl's cock between his thumb and index finger, stroking it quickly. 

 

Daryl cried out and felt his come spurt out onto his chest. He looked down at himself; his come had reached Rick's signature, white stark against the dark ink. His dick twitched again knowing that he had a belly full of come and more on his chest. 

 

Rick gently removed the vibrator, setting it aside, undoing the restraints on Daryl's wrists and ankles. He rubbed at his slave's muscles and joints, bringing one ankle to his mouth, kissing at the jutting bone and down to the sole, licking a long stripe up to Daryl's toes.

 

Daryl jerked away from it, his whole body oversensitive from the scene. Rick grabbed the baby wipes from the nightstand and wiped Daryl's stomach, being careful to leave his writing untouched. 

 

"You okay?"

 

"Mhm. One. 'm good. Just need a minute."

 

Daryl stretched his arms over his head, sitting up slowly. 

 

"Do you wanna lay down for a while?"

 

"Nah. I got dishes to do. Might need to walk around for a few minutes, get my legs workin' again."

 

Rick kissed his slave's shoulder. "You can take some time, slave. It's okay."

 

"I know, Master. But I wanna get my chores done."

 

"You're such a good slave, you know that? How's your list comin' along? Are you doing okay?"

 

"Yes, Master. It's not too bad, now that I been doin' it all day."

 

Daryl stood, stretching his limbs out again and adjusting his collar to sit comfortably on his now-sore throat. "Master, You look tired. You been workin' all day, why don't You go to sleep for a while?"

 

Rick yawned and laid down on the bed. "Am kinda sleepy. Wake me up when dinner's ready?"

 

"Of course, Master. Can...can I please have a kiss?"

 

Rick reached up, tugging his slave down by his collar, kissing him softly. Daryl smiled when he pulled away, arranging Rick's pillows the way he knew his Master liked them. Rick slid his jeans off and turned on his side, closing his eyes. It didn't take long for his breathing to even out, and Daryl smoothed his hand over Rick's curls before folding his jeans and setting them where Rick would be able to reach them when he woke up. 

 

He went out to living room and looked in the mirror. He had to come up with two points now. Daryl looked over his body. 

 

Now that he thought about it, the size of his shoulders gave a nice contrast to his narrow hips and waist. It almost gave him curves. He jotted down another point. Daryl looked at how many things he had on paper and grinned. 

 

He looked up at the mirror again. His smile was lopsided, but it brightened up his face and made him look younger than he was, like the years of abuse never happened. 

 

Daryl put it on the list. 

 

\---

 

The next few points, he took his time on. Daryl really examined himself, looking at his body from different angles. 

 

This really was getting easier. It felt good to be thinking about himself in a positive way. It was still uncomfortable to look at his back, but he tried. Under the scars, his back was toned, defined muscles stretching and contracting under his skin. The tattoos on his shoulder blade stood out against his pale skin. 

 

Daryl hesitated, but wrote it down. It was time to make dinner, and soon he'd be able to show his Master the list. He was excited; he'd made it this far through the day and been fine. His Master would be so proud.

 

\---

 

It was ten o'clock when Rick told him he was done.

 

Rick was sitting on the couch and turned off the TV. Daryl stood in front of him, list in his shaking hands. He had to read it out loud to his Master. 

 

"Go on. It's okay."

 

Daryl took a deep breath and started.

 

"Um, the first thing is...my eyes. They're kinda pretty. Then my hair, it looks nice when the light hits it. And I like the way I look when I've got Your marks on me. Like what You wrote on me? It makes me feel more attractive.

 

"My legs are strong and they look good. Then, um. My ass is pretty nice." Rick smiled and let out a quiet laugh at that. Daryl straightened his posture, feeling more confident at the reaction. "I-I like my arms. 'Specially when I'm carryin' somethin'. The muscles look real big. And I like my dick. It ain't big, but I like that. It makes me feel...I don't know. It just feels good, I guess.

 

"Always kinda thought my shoulders were too big. Like they was too broad. Thought they looked silly. But they make my waist and hips look nice, the difference 'tween 'em. And...my smile. I ain't ever liked it before. But I's smilin' earlier and I looked-I felt good, seein' it. I looked happy. I like the way I look when I'm blushin'. You always say it's cute, but I always thought I looked stupid. Um, next, I decided my freckles and moles and stuff aren't too bad. The one on my face looks kinda neat. 

 

"I um...I got to lookin' at my back, and I still don't like lookin' at the...the scars. But I like how my tattoos look and my back muscles are all defined and stuff. Guess it's kinda nice that 'm strong, even with all the stuff that's happened t'me.

 

"And um. I always thought it was kinda embarrassin' that I couldn't grow a beard, you know? But I kinda like what I got. Think it suits me. And I always thought my hands were weird, like my fingers were kinda fat. But they're okay. They look strong too, and that feels good. Knowin' I'm strong makes me feel good. Makes me feel better 'bout myself. And I guess the last thing is...my whole body, I have problems with. I think I'm gonna still have problems with it, 'cause I spent a real long time thinkin' I's ugly. But I guess knowin' that You think I'm..."

 

"Beautiful." 

 

"Yeah. That kinda helps me feel like I look good. I don't know if that counts or not, but it's the last one."

 

Rick looked happy, his eyes were bright as he pulled Daryl to him. "It counts, Daryl. I am so, so proud of you for doing this."

 

"Wasn't no big deal."

 

Rick gripped his chin and forced him to look in his eyes. "Yes, it is. Don't belittle your accomplishments. This is a big step towards changing how you look at yourself, and it couldn't have been easy. I'm so happy that you were willin' to do this." 

 

Rick stood and pulled Daryl to stand in front of the mirror. "All those things you said, I've thought they were beautiful from the moment I saw you. You are the sexiest, most gorgeous man I have ever met, and I cannot believe that I'm lucky enough to have you in my life." Rick leaned in, kissing at Daryl's sensitive ear. He licked into the creases and pulled the lobe between his teeth, biting down just a little.

 

Daryl moaned and pushed his hips back against Rick's. 

 

"Master?"

 

"Mhmm?"

 

"I'm-I'm still real loose from earlier."

 

"Yeah? You want me inside you?"

 

"God, yes, Master, I need You."

 

Rick turned Daryl around, bending over and lifting him over his shoulder. Daryl let out a short squeal and laughed when Rick tapped his ass with one hand. 

 

"Master! 'm too heavy to carry!"

 

"Bullshit."

 

Rick tossed him onto their bed, crawling over him until he could press his hips down, rolling them against Daryl's. Daryl looped his arms around Rick's neck and leaned up, kissing Rick softly. 

 

Rick let the kiss stay sweet for a moment before deepening it, licking at his slave's mouth until it opened for him. Their tongues slid together, Rick pushing further to press his tongue all along Daryl's teeth. Daryl groaned into his Master's mouth  and wrapped his arms around Rick's waist, his heels digging into Rick's lower back. 

 

"Mas-Master please, come on."

 

"How do you want it?"

 

"Like this, on my back. Wanna see You, Master. Wanna kiss You."

 

Rick smiled down at his slave. "I wanna see and kiss you too, slave. I love kissin' you while I fuck you."

 

Rick pulled his shirt over his head while Daryl reached up to start tugging Rick's jeans and boxers down. He uncovered his Master's cock and stroked it, loving the weight of it in his hand. Daryl slid his fingers through the pre-cum gathered at the top and used that to ease the slide of his palm. Rick thrusted into his grip, grabbing the bottle of lube from the nightstand. 

 

"Your little asshole is still kinda loose, but I gotta make sure, slave. Don't wanna hurt you." Rick grinned. "Not tonight, at least."

 

He pushed two fingers into Daryl's hole, scissoring them and opening his slave up. Daryl laid and took it, panting and pleading for his Master to keep going. Rick added a third finger and leaned down to kiss his slave again. 

 

Daryl loved when Rick would lick at his lips, he loved how his Master's tongue invaded his mouth and teased him. He sucked on Rick's tongue, keeping them joined while Rick shifted to settle between his legs. Rick gripped his cock and guided it to Daryl's slick, loose hole. The slide was easy, and Rick soon bottomed out in his slave's wonderfully tight ass.

 

"Master, fuck, fuck that feels good, I love Your big fuckin' dick inside me. Want it hard, please, wanna feel it for days."

 

"Yeah? You want my big fuckin' dick? Want it to hurt, slave?"

 

"Hell yes, fuck, Master, I need it."

 

Rick started a brutal pace, hooking his arms under Daryl's knees and pushing them up to Daryl's chest. The angle kept him deep in his slave, and Daryl couldn't stop squeezing his ass around the huge length. Rick pounded away, palms flat on the mattress, growling against his slave's lips. 

 

Daryl looked so sexy like this; knees above his shoulders, skin flushed red down to his chest, tiny cock dark and dripping. 

 

"Gonna come for me, slave? Gonna shoot a nice load out of that pretty little dick? Come on, slave, give it to me, come all over yourself, like a good little slut. Be a good slut for your Master."

 

"Fuck, Master, I'm so close, can I? Can I please come, Master, can Your slut come?"

 

"Do it." 

 

Rick kissed him again, hard, and Daryl's hips jerked, bouncing himself back on his Master's thrusts, one perfect jab against his prostate sending him over the edge. His legs shook when his come shot out, covering his chest in long streaks of white.

 

"Fuck, that's good, that's my perfect little slave. Is my slave gonna take my come? Want me to fill you up? Does my slut want my come?"

 

Daryl nodded, clamping his muscles around Rick over and over, until Rick finally stilled, pressing the whole of his cock inside Daryl, pumping his come deep inside the hot, tight channel.

 

He sat up, gently letting Daryl's legs down. They both breathed heavily, Rick running his hands up and down Daryl's thighs, occasionally squeezing at the hard muscles. Rick pulled out, gathering the come that dripped out on his fingers and pushing it back inside his slave. Daryl moaned, stretching his legs out and reaching out for Rick.

 

"Gonna get up for a second, darlin', I'll be right back." 

 

Rick left for a moment, coming back with a glass of water. He cleaned Daryl off with baby wipes and had him sit up slowly, bringing the glass to his slave's mouth, letting him take a few drinks before setting it on the nightstand. 

 

"You wanna sleep with your collar on?"

 

"Mhmm. Yeah, Master. Gonna shower tomorrow."

 

Rick laid down facing Daryl, gathering his slave into his arms and pulling the blankets over them.

 

"Daryl?"

 

His slave peeked up at him from where his face was pressed into Rick's chest. "Mm?"

 

"I think we should make what you did today a regular chore. Give you a quota of how many things to come up with in a week, somethin' like that. I don't want you to think you're ugly. You're not. You're the most beautiful person I've ever met, inside and out. And you may not ever fully believe it, but I want you to try. Do you think you could do that?"

 

Daryl sighed and looked up at Rick. "I can try. I might not be able to some days, 'cause some days I'm just gonna feel bad about myself. But I don't mind givin' it a shot."

 

Rick kissed Daryl, chaste and sweet. "I'm very proud of you, Daryl. I love you."

 

"I love you too, Rick. It was kinda nice, today. It was hard, but after a while it was easier to come up with stuff. Thank you for makin' me do that."

 

Rick wrapped his arms tight around Daryl, his slave snuggling close to him. "I'm happy it helped, beautiful."

**Author's Note:**

> *shrug emoji* i's got some kinks. gotta express them somewhere.


End file.
